Christian Teacher of the Year: Allison Vazquez reaches each student through targeted small groups 

When Allison Vazquez discovered that 91% of her fourth graders were below proficiency in key skills required for math, she didn’t just reteach the lesson – she rebuilt the way the entire grade approaches the subject. 

Vazquez is one of 12 instructors awarded 2026 Christian Teacher of the Year honors by the Herzog Foundation, publisher of Heartlander News.

Vazquez has been an educator for 15 years and has spent the last three teaching at Shiloh Christian Elementary School in Springdale, Arkansas, where her three children also attend as students. 

She sees Christian education as a way to equip students to “form their own ideas with scripture in mind,” with teachers weaving a biblical lens into every subject.

“Thinking of the world that we live in and the things around us, unfortunately, Christian education is one of the only things, if not the only thing, that’s going to save us and save society,” Vazquez told Heartlander News when asked why Christian education is important for America’s future. “And allowing Christ to be the center of these kids’ decisions as they leave us and as they go out into the world, and they’re able to make the changes that we, as Christians, know need to be made is imperative.”

Vazquez’s innovation in the classroom began with a simple pre-assessment. When she realized that 91% of her students were “below proficiency in key measurement and averaging skills,” she began forming what she describes as “standards-based intentional small group instruction.” Within just seven days of targeted small group instruction, 87% of students were already demonstrating proficiency.

Encouraged by the turnaround, Vazquez led the charge to implement small groups across the entire grade, collaborating with other teachers and sharing data.

“I would say that at Shiloh Christian things have been done really well, and they’ve worked for a really long time, but because of this ever-changing world we live in, and an extreme growth at our school over a short period of time, kids’ needs have changed,” Vazquez said of the students’ initial low scores. “So I think having some open-mindedness as teachers, as administration, has really allowed us to see that we do a lot of things really well,” she said, while adding that God always pushes “us out of those comfort zones to do something different to enable our students just a little bit better each day.”

Vazquez has also woven a spiritual lesson into the small group process, teaching her students the importance of struggling through new challenges and persevering through difficulty.

“That mirrors our struggle with being Christlike and everyday striving in that way, and we can do the same thing in the classroom,” she said. “We have to struggle in all areas of our life, and through that struggle, whether it be with our relationship with Christ or learning a math skill, that perseverance piece in that small group just allowed them to be more vulnerable” and build confidence, she said.

Asked what makes her job worth it, Vazquez said it’s “knowing that I am where the Lord wants me to be.” In everyday interactions, both big and small, God has worked through her to enrich the lives of her students, who come back and tell her stories. “I could go on and on about what makes it worth it.”

The Christian Teacher of the Year honor is part of the Herzog Foundation’s Excellence in Christian Education award series. Each of the 12 winners was invited to attend a special professional development and recognition event.